


A Summer Thing

by mimimola



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: F/M, Humor, One Shot, Romance, high school au where there are no aliens!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25994893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimimola/pseuds/mimimola
Summary: “Well, what if I collapse again before I make it to my bed? Are you gonna take responsibility?”He finally turned towards her, staring at her in disbelief.“Well?” she prompted. “Are you?” When he still didn’t answer, she sighed dramatically. “Then let the evidence show that you are responsible for a possible concussion and/or serious injury due to your lack of care.”“Are you taking me to court?” he asked dispassionately.“If I have to,” she answered coolly.--When a summer romance with Kevin abruptly ends and the new school year begins, Gwen starts to realize that maybe she doesn't know him as well as she thought she did.
Relationships: Kevin Levin & Gwen Tennyson, Kevin Levin/Gwen Tennyson
Kudos: 8





	A Summer Thing

Gwen Tennyson had a routine every morning that she followed to a tee. She awoke at six as she always did during the school year, and though it was only the first day, she was known for being the kind of student who was never tardy, never absent and the teachers all loved her. Today would be no different from any other day; she’d go for her morning run while listening to podcasts in French, eat breakfast and then go to school. It was a typical morning for her.

However, if there was one thing that would be different about this morning, it was that Gwen was more eager to get to school than usual, and there was a reason for it. As she plugged in her earphones and headed out the door, she remembered said reason and blushed deeply.

“Are you alright, Gwen Sweetie?” her dad asked her when she got back from exercising. “Your face is all red.”

“I’m fine,” she answered as cheerfully she could, grateful that her parents couldn’t read her mind. “It’s just from running.”

“You’re not normally like this after a run,” her mom observed as she poured a bowl of cereal for her daughter. “Are you feeling sick?”

“It’s probably just first day jitters,” Gwen said quickly and she resisted the urge to cover her face in embarrassment. “I’ll have some of that cereal now.”

Her parents’ concerns were once again voiced through her cousin Ben when he came to pick her up.

“Why is your face all red?” he asked bluntly yet cheerfully.

Gwen cringed. “Is it that obvious?”

“You’re as red as your hair,” he confirmed with a grin, to which she rolled her eyes, but she ran her hands through her hair subconsciously, hoping to hide her flaming cheeks with her long, red locks.

“Let’s just hurry and get to school.”

“You seem really excited to actually go to school, and that’s saying something. Oh man,” he complained. “My engine light’s on again.”

After Ben dropped her off and went to park his car, Gwen was immediately approached by her best friend Emily.

“You’re doing that thing with your hair,” she said.

“What thing with my hair?” Gwen asked as innocently as she could, turning Emily’s wheelchair around and walking them both towards the entrance.

“You know,” Emily insisted. “When you’re trying to hide yourself. You, Gwen Tennyson, are the most confident person I know, so it must be something serious,” she teased her.

“What? No, it’s the first day of school,” the other protested. “I’m just nervous.”

“Ri-i-i-ight.”

By the tone of her voice, Emily clearly wasn’t buying it, but she thankfully dropped it.

"By the way, you  _ are _ gonna come to my party at the end of the month, right?" she asked. "I'm handing out invitations next week."

"You know I’ll be there," Gwen assured her.

The girls chatted as they headed towards their newly assigned lockers, catching up on everything that happened during the summer since they last saw each other ― well, mostly everything.

That’s when she saw him. Gwen couldn’t help but smile when none other than Kevin Levin walked down the hallway, probably on his way to his first class. The area was crowded, so Gwen had to push her way through, but she managed to stop right in front of him.

“Good morning,” she greeted brightly. Suddenly, heads turned and for a moment, it felt like the entire student body was watching them.

It seemed that Kevin was confused as to why she was talking to him, though confused was perhaps too nice a way of putting it. He rather looked… annoyed?

“It’s good to see you,” she went on, crossing her arms, signaling for him to respond. If he was going to be annoyed, then so was she. Around them, their peers were starting to whisper, and Gwen could see Emily out of the corner of her eye, her jaw dropped.

The tension was broken when Ben showed up, clapping a hand on Kevin’s shoulder.

“‘Sup, Kev?” he said, unable to read the room. “Hey, do you mind if I stop by your shop after school? The engine light’s on, and you know you’re the only one I trust to fix my car!” He pointed his free hand in a finger gun, and the surrounding crowd moved along.

Kevin turned away from Gwen. “Sure, man. After school is fine.” The boys then abruptly walked past Gwen, yakking about cars and other uninteresting topics. Gwen’s stare could have burned a hole into the back of Kevin’s skull. Why on  _ Earth _ did he give her the cold shoulder? She and Kevin were… They were…

“Gwen?” Emily called out cautiously, wheeling up to her. “What’s going on?”

* * *

“You and him are  _ what _ ?” Emily nearly shouted, and Gwen frantically shushed her. “Sorry, I’m just so surprised. You guys are actually a couple?”

“Yes,” Gwen said bravely, but then she slumped in her seat. The two were seated in a corner of the cafeteria, both their lunches forgotten as the tale unfolded. “Or, at least I thought we were. To be honest, these last couple of days, he was suddenly distant with me, but I figured he had some stuff going so I gave him some space.”

“He doesn’t have just some stuff going on, Gwen,” Emily retorted. “He’s got a  _ lot _ of stuff going on. Sorry, but… he’s always been kind of a freak ― look, I don’t mean that in a bad way,” she said quickly after seeing the sharp look on her friend’s face. “I mean that he’s a weirdo. He has  _ no _ friends except for Ben.”

“Well, I guess Ben’s always been a weirdo, too,” Gwen said defensively. “Those two never got along as kids. In fact, Kevin used to bully him, but now they’re best friends. Things can change.”

“You’re saying Kevin changed?” Emily asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, I’m saying…” She blushed again. “The thing between him and I changed. It was because of Ben that we got together in the first place, in a way.”

“Fine,” Emily sighed dramatically, and then smiled warmly. “Alright, I’m happy for you, Gwen. Now tell me how it happened! Was it during the whole summer? And you didn’t even tell me?”

“No, no, it only started three weeks ago, while you were in Europe.” Gwen took a deep breath and recounted the story…

* * *

“Ben!” Gwen called out, not bothering to knock on the door as she entered her cousin’s home. “Mom sent me over for some flour, she figured you guys might…” She made her way to the kitchen to see Ben, and an additional person, hovering over a laptop. They looked up as she stood in the entrance. “…have some,” she finished lamely. Her cousin’s best friend, Kevin, was here. The three of them had known each other ever since they were kids, and Gwen might or might not have started to develop a crush on him once she started high school. He always looked so grumpy and aloof, that she was surprised to see him hanging out with someone so goofy like Ben.

But it wasn’t his “I don’t care” personality that only stood out to her. He was also so much more mature than any other boy she knew. He had his own car, his own job ― at an auto shop, no less. She always thought he was cool, and when sophomore Kevin greeted her and Ben at school, who were little shrimp freshmen, in his usual stiff yet friendly way, Gwen started to like him.

“Wassup, Gwen,” he said casually as she walked into the kitchen.

“Hey,” she returned, then looked at Ben. “Flour?”

“It’s in the pantry on the top left shelf,” Ben said brightly, turning his attention back to the laptop.

“Thanks,” she said, and then, to make conversation, asked, “What are you guys doing?” She slid open the pantry door to look for the ingredient. “Where are Aunt Sandra and Uncle Carl?”

“They went to run some errands or something, and I invited Kevin over for dinner. We’re making Pad Thai.”

Gwen looked back and raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “Have you ever  _ made _ Pad Thai before?” She noticed the heap of groceries on the counter top; vegetables, noodles, eggs and chicken breast lay haphazardly on the marble.

“No,” he admitted. “But it can’t be that hard, right? As long as we follow the directions?”

“Sure,” Kevin offered nonchalantly.

Gwen shook her head, still smiling as she turned her attention back to her task, but she found it hard to reach the bag of flour; it was too high. She was tall for her age, but even on the tips of her toes, she still couldn’t grab it. Giving up with a frustrated sigh, she was about to turn around and scan the room for a stool when suddenly Kevin’s hand appeared by the side of her head, reached up and got the flour for her. She spun on her heel to face him.

Realizing how closely they were standing next to each other, he stepped back swiftly and held out the bag.

“Thank you,” she said, accepting it.

“You’re welcome,” he responded, once again with that indifferent tone of voice, and went back to join Ben.

The other snapped his fingers, a triumphant grin on his face as he looked up from the recipe on his laptop. “Let’s start with slicing the bell peppers.”

“Which ones?” Kevin asked, examining the yellow, red and green peppers before them.

“Uh…”

“What does the recipe say?” Gwen came over and took a look at it herself, then pointed at the screen. “See? It says red peppers here. Did you even read this before you went shopping?”

“I dunno, kinda?” Ben answered with a shrug. “I just scanned through it and I wasn’t sure which ones to buy so I bought all the colors.”

“Red peppers it is, then,” Kevin said, picking up the brightly-colored vegetable and inspecting it. “Do we need to wash it first?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Gwen sighed, taking it from his hand and rinsing it in the sink. “Let me cut them; you two will end up chopping your fingers off.”

“Hey ― ” Ben was about to protest.

“She’s probably right,” Kevin said, and Gwen’s heart fluttered.

“Bring out a cutting board and a knife. No, that one’s too small, I need a bigger one. Seriously, Ben? That’s a bread knife. Yes, that one. Bring it here.”

As she began to cut the pepper into thin slices, the boys watched over her shoulder in interest.

“Your cousin’s a professional, bro,” Kevin commented, and Gwen became more aware of their close proximity than ever. Distracted, she didn’t see where her index finger was as she brought the knife down.

“Ah!” she yelped, retracting her finger. The boys jumped back at her reaction.

“You okay?” Kevin asked quickly. The knife thankfully hadn’t cut too deep, but a steady stream of blood was flowing out of the side of her finger.

“I’ll grab the first aid kit!” Ben yelled, running out of the room.

“Really, I’m fine,” Gwen said, heading back to the sink. “It’s just a cut.” She held her hand under the running water, flinching at the slight sting from the wound.

“Are you alright?” Kevin asked her again. She smiled.

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal. Slap on a Band-Aid and it should be fine. I need to get back home anyway.”

“Uh, guys?” Ben sped back into the kitchen. Bad news: we’re out of bandages.”

“What?” Kevin asked incredulously. “How do you run out of bandages?”

“I don’t know!” Ben insisted. “I’m going to the store to buy some more. Sit tight, Gwen, don’t go to the light! Kevin, make sure she doesn’t bleed to death!”

“Wait ― ” Gwen tried to call out, but the front door slammed shut and seconds later, she and Kevin could hear Ben’s car start and drive away. The two of them remained in the kitchen in silence, Kevin standing awkwardly by the cutting board stained with blood, and Gwen even more awkwardly by the sink.

“He can be so dramatic sometimes,” Kevin commented, breaking the quiet. Gwen snorted.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Okay,” he relented, stepping towards her. “Well, your finger’s not gonna get better if you keep dousing it with water like that.”

She turned off the water and began to suck on the wound, shrugging. He shook his head and then proceeded to go through all the drawers in the kitchen.

“Whatcha looking for?”

“Rags,” he told her. “Gotta be here somewhere.”

“Nothing’s worse than trying to find something in someone else’s kitchen.”

“Right.” He searched a little longer before he said, “Aha,” as he came across a narrow drawer with light blue kitchen towels, taking out one and showing it to her. “Um,” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “May I help you with the cut?”

“Uh, yeah, of course you can,” Gwen blabbed. “I mean, why not?” She thought she saw him smile as he walked up to her, and she hopped up onto the counter to sit. She held out her hand and he took it in hers.

_ His hands are twice the size of mine, _ she thought, watching as he gently wrapped the cloth around her finger.

“Now I’m just gonna apply some pressure to help stop the bleeding,” he said. His brow furrowed as he did so, then he looked up at her. “Are you in pain?”

“No,” she said unintentionally softly. She found herself staring at his mouth, and then her eyes flickered up to meet his. He had definitely noticed. Immediately, she turned her gaze down to her injured finger and their joined hands. “There’s a lot of blood,” she marveled. Indeed the rag had already soaked up much of it.

“It’ll wash out. Besides, what are towels for if not to be used?”

“True.” She got courage to look at him again. “You seem to be used to dressing wounds.”

“I guess,” he shrugged, his expression uncertain. “I’m used to patching myself up.”

“Think I’ll need stitches?”

He shook his head in the negative. “Don’t think so.”

“Thank you, Kevin,” she told him sincerely. “Getting myself cut on a Tuesday night was not what I planned, but…” She shrugged, not sure where she was going with this.

“But?” he prompted.

“It’s not so bad, I guess,” she admitted.

“It’s not so bad for me, either. I mean,” he corrected himself. “It’s pretty bad that you got cut, but I don’t mind being here.”

“Good,” Gwen said, smiling. He smiled back.

“Looks like the bleeding stopped,” he observed, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. He let go and made to pull away, but she held on. He looked down at their hands, then up at her, surprise etched all over his face. She used her free hand to cover his hands, letting him know she wanted him to stay. He understood and stepped even closer to her. He reached up, about to touch her cheek and she closed her eyes.

Then suddenly, she felt him back away. She opened her eyes and furrowed her brow, a little hurt and confused, and almost a little angry, when she saw him. He tried to hide it, but the emotions she was feeling seemed to be mirrored in his expression. He looked unsure, and maybe even afraid.

“I―” he began, clearing his throat, averting his eyes. “I can’t―”

But his hands were still clasped to hers, and that was all she needed.

She gently tugged one of her hands free, then placed it on his shoulder. He looked up at her, eyes wide, and they were still open when she leaned forward and kissed him. He was unresponsive, frozen like a block of ice, and he remained that way for a moment after she pulled away, gazing at him.

“Gwen,” Kevin said in shock, his face blushing, and Gwen was sure she was just as red. “I―wha―”

“I like you,” she told him, placing both hands on his shoulders now. “Do you like me?”

He nodded, and his hands settled on her waist. “Yeah,” he answered. She smiled.

“Good.” She was about to kiss him again when they heard the front door open.

Then Ben walked into the house and the two jumped apart, both faces in flames.

“Sorry that took so long,” Ben apologized, holding up a plastic bag. “But I bought some Band-Aids!”

“Thanks,” Gwen said in a cool tone, though she didn’t feel that way at all, as she hopped down from her seat and accepted the bag. “I oughta get the flour home. My mom will be wondering where I am.” She cleared her throat and glanced at Kevin. “Have―have a good night.”

“You’re walking back?” Ben asked. “Do you wanna eat with us before you go?”

“Nah, I’m okay,” she said with a smile.

“I can drive you home,” Kevin suddenly offered.

“You sure? My house really isn’t that far.” But even though she said it, Gwen hoped that he would insist.

“I don’t mind,” he assured her.

“Aw, Kev’s such a gentleman,” Ben teased, folding his arms. “I’ll get started on the food till you get back, then.”

The drive back to Gwen’s house was quiet. She noticed Kevin was driving his car a lot slower than normally, and she was anxious herself, running her thumb over her new bandage.

It took all but two minutes to reach her house, and she found herself wishing she’d lived farther away, if only to preserve this exciting, anticipated time with him.

He shifted the gear into park, and they were silent for a moment.

“So―” he started.

“I―” she said at the same time, and then she smiled. “Go ahead.”

“So, he said slowly, running a hand on the steering wheel. “Should I give you my number?”

“Actually, I already have it,” Gwen answered, unbuckling her seat belt and fishing her phone out of her pocket to show his name on her contact list.

“Me, too.” He did the same and they stared at each other. “Ben’s phone?” he asked.

“Ben’s phone,” she confirmed. Her heart soared when he smiled. Then he leaned forward…

“Um,” she said quickly and he waited patiently. “I don’t… really want to kiss in a car.” Her voice neared to a whisper in embarrassment.

“Oh,” he voiced in realization. “Let me get the door for you.” He got out and opened her door, stepping aside so she could exit. Leaning against the car door, Gwen tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked up at Kevin expectantly. He came closer to her so that they were toe to toe, and this time he made the first move.

Kissing him again was even more heart-pounding, and she felt like it was definitely worth the three minutes of waiting.

Where she had very little experience, he seemed to be a natural, maybe even an expert, and he didn’t jab his tongue down her throat like the first boy Gwen ever kissed back in the eighth grade. Kevin was gentle. Achingly gently, in fact, and he let her take her time, giving her soft and slow kisses as he delicately touched her neck and cheek.

Gwen was surely flushed this time. When he pulled back to look at her, there was that soft smile on his face again, the kind of smile that she hoped was reserved only for her. He reached behind her into the car and picked up the thing that she’d gone to get in the first place.

“Don’t forget your flour,” he told her, but it wasn’t in a condescending tone, and somehow her cheeks felt even hotter.

“Thanks for driving me home,” she whispered. “Call me?”

“Yeah.”

Then, feeling brave for a fleeting moment, she held on tight to the bag of flour in her arms and got onto her tiptoes, giving him one last, quick kiss.

“Good night.” She slipped past him and walked to her front door, casting another glance before walking. He waited until she was inside, giving her that soft smile once more.

* * *

Had Gwen left out some of the details when recalling the story for Emily? Absolutely. But she kept in the key elements, and her best friend was gawking at her when she finished.

“Are. You. Kidding. Me.” Emily slammed her hands onto the cafeteria table. “Then what?”

“We hung out a lot over the next three weeks,” Gwen told her. “He took me to the movies, dinner, stuff like that. But my favorite dates were just spending time with him at his work, since he’s usually the only one there.” And of course the kissing was nice, too. She rested her chin in her hands, smiling at the memories.

“Ugh, I didn’t know you were so sappy, Gwen,” Emily said, pretending to throw up.

“Hey,” Gwen protested.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But I don’t get it. It sounds so perfect. What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she said, shoulders sagging. Remembering the past three weeks with Kevin lifted her spirits, but coming back to reality made her feel glum again. “I need to talk to him.”

And talk to him she did, or at least she tried. As soon as classes were over, she texted Kevin, asking him to meet up. But he answered in short sentences that he was busy and needed to go to work.

_ Alright _ , she thought to herself.  _ I’ll try again tomorrow. _

Gwen tried contacting him the next day, and the next, yet he was clearly avoiding her, so she decided to catch him before he could leave the school grounds.

“Kevin,” she called as he headed towards the parking lot. She jogged up to him and he waited reluctantly. “Going to work?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he answered quickly, then kept walking.

“I get that you must be busy. In fact, I bet there’s a high percentage of high school students who crash their cars within the first week of classes,” she joked. “Business must be booming over there.”

“Sure.”

Her smile melted. “Do you mind if I stop by when your shift ends?”

They arrived at his car and he finally turned around to look at her. “My shift ends at eight o’ clock. That’s pretty late for a school night.”

“No later than it’s always been,” she pointed out.

He opened his mouth to respond, but then he noticed something behind her and stopped. Gwen followed his gaze to see more of their peers making their way to the parking lot as well. Why was Kevin so concerned about them all of a sudden?

“I need to go,” he said shortly, unlocking his car and tossing his backpack onto the passenger’s seat.

“I’ll be there at eight,” Gwen told him.

“Stay on the sidewalk while I back out of here,” he said, and just like that, he was gone.

Gwen took the city bus to the auto shop later that evening. During the previous hours, she’d tried to focus on homework, she really did, but she couldn’t get rid of the feeling in her chest which had steadily been growing over the past few days, and it was all she could think about.

When she visited him previously, she’d always bring some soda, because she knew he hated the smoothies that Ben tended to buy. She’d also had those smoothies on the rare occasion when it was the three of them hanging out growing up, and it pleased her to see his happy reaction upon seeing soda.

Today, however, she refrained from buying him the sugary drink. Not only had Gwen’s spirits been low ever since school started again, but a feeling of annoyance had also been building up inside of her, and she wasn’t in the mood to buy him anything. Who knew if he’d even drink it, anyway?

As expected, Kevin was alone at the auto shop, working on an expensive-looking vehicle. Or at least, she’d figured it was expensive, she wasn’t really well-versed in this occupation of fixing cars. There were a few things she’d learned from him, however. For instance, in this moment, she could tell he was currently doing an oil change. A giant lever machine had lifted the car high above the ground, high enough so that Kevin could stand upright, unscrew a little cap from underneath the car, and drain the black liquid in a small container. He noticed her coming in, glancing at her as she walked through the open garage.

“Hey,” she called, hands behind her back.

“Hey,” he greeted. Letting the oil drain, he wiped his hands roughly on an already dirty cloth, then went to retrieve a fresh bottle of new oil. She liked watching him work, liked seeing him in his work shirt, a pale blue color with the company’s name embroidered in red on the front pocket. She checked her phone for the time:  _ 7:55. _ She knew he wouldn’t leave right at eight o’ clock, however. He only left after the job was done, no matter how long it took. A lot of the time, that meant working until nearly midnight, but she enjoyed staying during those hours with him as well.

“Can we talk?” she asked. “While you’re waiting for the oil to drain?”

“What do you want to talk about?” He finally faced her, still holding the dirty rag in his hands. Was he nervous? Agitated?

Gwen swallowed. Where to begin?  _ How _ to begin? “I… just want to know if everything is okay,” she said, shrugging. “ _ Is _ everything okay?”

“Fine,” he said, also shrugging. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I’ve noticed you’ve been avoiding me lately and I want to know why. And why…” her brow furrowed. “Why you’ve been acting so cold towards me, like right now, and  _ especially _ at school. Was it something I did?” she asked with dread.

“No,” he said, and he looked surprised for a moment, then a little guilty. “Listen, Gwen, I…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, if I led you on, really. I’m not… I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

The garage was silent for a moment until Gwen was able to process his words.

“What?” she murmured.

He held her gaze. “What we had during the summer, it was just a summer thing. That’s it.”

“That’s it?” she said sharply. “Are you serious? Well―well, if it was just a summer thing, why didn’t you say so? I thought―”

“You thought we were a couple? Come on, Gwen, do you really see a guy like me having a girlfriend?”

“ _ Yes. _ Yes, I did, because I thought you wanted me to be your girlfriend. It’s what  _ I _ wanted.”

“Why?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“What do you mean, why?”

“Why did you want to date me? Because you were bored of having a perfect, cliche life and wanted some random pariah to play around with?”

Gwen scoffed, her anger coming to a boiling point. “It really came across that way, did it? Well,  _ you’re _ the one who’s breaking it off, not me.”

“Yeah, because I don’t want to be  _ used _ .”

“I was never using you!”

“Oh yeah? Then why’d you insist on keeping us a secret, huh? You never told your parents about us, not even Ben. You saw how people at school were whispering. I doubt you’d want to ruin your perfect reputation.” He turned away from her. “If you’re embarrassed to be seen with me, you should go. I have work to do.”

“Fine,” she retorted. “Maybe I’m not looking for a relationship right now, either. Not with someone who doesn’t even have the guts to tell the truth.” She stalked towards the exit and glanced back. “I guess there wasn’t a relationship to begin with, but if there was, it’s over.” Then she left, not giving him a chance to say anything, if he was ever going to.

The ride back home was awful. Not only had it started raining and she didn’t have an umbrella, but she was trying the entire time not to cry on a public bus. When she got to her stop, Gwen pulled her hood up, tightened the strings and marched back home with her eyes on the sidewalk.

She was soaked to the bone and shivering like mad by the time she got to her front door.

“Where have you been? Do you know what time it is?” her mom asked when she walked in, who was waiting by the entrance with her arms crossed. “It’s a school night, Gwen. You need to be more responsible about―what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Gwen answered hoarsely. “I’m going to bed.”

“Make sure to wash up, first.”

“‘Kay.”

She was tempted to just collapse onto her bed without changing, but she knew her mom would be furious if she got her bed sheets wet, so she reluctantly toweled herself off and put on her pajamas before curling up into a ball underneath the covers.

She was so angry with Kevin, but her sadness won over. She cried as silently as she could, not wanting her parents to hear.

* * *

“You look terrible, Lovely Gwen,” a voice said behind her while she unloaded books into her locker.

_ Ugh, Michael Morningstar, _ she thought with disgust. “What do you want, Michael?”

“Why do you assume I want something?” he pretended to be hurt as he went to her side, leaning against the locker next to hers.

“Um, maybe because you’re a manipulative playboy who  _ always _ wants something?” Gwen shut her locker and glared at him. “Why are you always sneaking up on me, anyway, and calling me ‘Lovely Gwen’? That’s a really weird, uncreative nickname.”

“G’Morning, Gwen. Oh hi, Michael!”

The two looked over to see Emily making her way over to them, holding a stack of green papers in her hands. Her wheelchair came to a stop as she greeted them.

“Hey, Emily,” Gwen said, trying to smile.

“Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“I said the same thing,” Michael said, putting a hand on his chest. “You’re just as observant as I am.”

Emily blushed, and Gwen gritted her teeth. Michael was a year older than them, and when the girls were freshmen, Michael kept trying to ask Gwen out. When that didn’t work, he turned to Emily, who immediately developed a crush on him. But Gwen had seen him break many girls’ hearts and couldn’t bear to see her best friend go through the same thing, so she somehow managed to talk her out of going to prom with him. Judging by Emily’s current reaction to seeing Michael, however, there appeared to be lingering feelings.

“You’re invited to my party,” Emily said shyly, holding out the green flyer to him. “It’s in a couple of weeks. Would you like to come?” He accepted it and smiled easily.

“If you’re there, Emily, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

She blushed even redder, said her goodbyes and headed off for class. Gwen turned back to him, eyes narrowed. “Of course she’s going to be there, it’s her party. Now quit playing around. What is it that you want?”

Michael pouted. “I’m only checking up on you, you know. Just wanted to make sure Miss Perfect is feeling okay.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. She knew some of the kids called her that behind her back, ever since elementary school. “Seriously, how old are you?”

“You know everyone’s talking about  _ you _ talking to Levin on the first day of school, right?” he continued. “Also, you have a cold,” he noticed, pointing at her.

“No, really?” she said sarcastically, sniffing. Ever since her walk home in the rain last Thursday, Gwen had been quite sick. Ben told her he was envious and suggested she stayed home, but Gwen had never missed a day of school and wasn’t about to start now. In fact, she rarely got sick. But a part of her wished she didn’t care so much about keeping her streak, and that today wasn’t Wednesday. She dug into her backpack for a mask and quickly put it on. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she told Michael scathingly. “I have first period.” She waved her hand. “Out of my way.”

“Hang on a sec.” He stepped in her path. “Won’t you tell me what’s up with you and Levin? I’m  _ so _ curious.”

“There’s nothing up.”

“Well, in that case, grab dinner with me? After you’ve recovered, of course.”

Gwen shook her head. “You always want what you can’t have. Just drop it already, Michael. You’ve been trying to ask me out for the last three years. We’re juniors now. You really ought to find a hobby or something.”

“If Levin asked you out, would you accept?” Michael rubbed his chin, then looked past her. “Speak of the devil. ‘Sup, Levin?”

Gwen turned her head so fast that she almost got whiplash, watching as Kevin made his way down the hall and walk by without saying a word.

“Silent as usual,” Michael commented. “Is that your type, Gwen?”

“None of your business,” she said, turning her nose up and heading to class, then realized her first class was an elective: film study, which Kevin was in as well.

_ “You’re interested in taking a class about cinematography and film history?” she’d asked him two weeks ago. They were at Burger Shack, finishing up dinner and staring at their phones, comparing schedules. _

_ “It’s my last year,” he said with a shrug. “I think I deserve to take a fun class, and I like watching movies. Plus,” he paused, blushing as he stirred the straw in his milkshake. “It’ll be nice to take a class with you.” _

_ Gwen beamed at him. “I think it’ll be nice, too.” _

She yawned, stretching her arms before walking through the door. Hopefully the day would go by quickly; she could feel a headache coming on.

Gwem found it difficult to concentrate during the lesson. She usually didn’t feel this tired, but knew that it was because of her cold. Had she taken medicine this morning before leaving the house? She couldn’t remember…

“To show you an example of a long shot,” she could hear the teacher say. “We’re going to watch a clip from Pride and Prejudice.” There were positive reactions from the female students as the projector lit up. “Kevin, will you hit the lights?”

_ Pride and Prejudice… _ Gwen thought as her eyes drifted shut, and she could feel a dull ache in her head. Now that the lights were off in the classroom, the temptation to fall asleep was stronger than ever.  _ I love that movie. I’m gonna listen to the soundtrack when I get home… _

Her head, which rested on top of her hand, nearly fell smack onto her desk before she jerked awake, blinking rapidly and rubbing her eyes.

_ This won’t do, _ she scolded herself. She raised her hand. “Mrs. Hernanadez, may I go to the nurse’s office?”

“Sure, Gwen,” Mrs. Hernandez replied sympathetically. “You gonna be okay?”

“Yes, thank you.” She hobbled out of the classroom, ignoring the stares from her classmates.

_ This mask is so stuffy, _ she thought irritably.  _ I should research for a better one. Ugh, I need some Tylenol or something; my head is killing me. Stupid rain, stupid Kevin… _

She managed to make it out the door and into the hallway before her vision went black.

* * *

The pillow underneath Gwen’s cheek was so comfortable, she wanted to sleep on it forever. The blanket covering her shoulders was nice and warm, too. She was probably at a hotel, on summer vacation with Grandpa Max and Ben.

Yeah, didn’t Grandpa take them to a resort and promise a hearty breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon? She could smell it now…

Her eyes reluctantly opened and she blinked slowly, staring at the ceiling. She was in fact, not at a hotel. The only source of light came from behind a curtain, which shielded her from whatever room she was in.

“Hm?” she voiced aloud in confusion.

“Gwen?” someone called. The curtain was pulled aside to reveal the school nurse. Next to her stood Kevin’s tall figure. They both looked down at her with concern.

“Gwen?” Nurse Summers repeated. “How are you feeling?”

“Uh…” No words came out.

“Try and sit up. Have some water. Kevin, can you get some from that dispenser over there? And grab that little box on the counter as well.”

“Sure.” He disappeared from view as Nurse Summers gently took Gwen’s arm and helped her sit up.

“How long was I out?” Gwen asked, finally able to manage speaking.

“Hm, less than ten minutes? Not long.”

It’d felt like an eternity. And her  _ head… _ it felt so heavy. She put a hand on her forehead.

“Thanks, Kevin,” Nurse Summers said when he got back. She took the cup of water and handed it to Gwen, then opened the box, taking out two little pills. “These are for your cold. They won’t make you drowsy, but you should go home and get some sleep.”

“But school…” Gwen protested half-heartedly.

“School can wait. What you need is rest,” the nurse scolded her. “Go on, take your medicine.”

Gwen obeyed wordlessly. The whole time, she’d avoided looking at Kevin, who was intently watching her.

“I’ll take her home,” he said.

“That’s very kind of you, Kevin. Take good care of her.”

Failing to hide her blush, Gwen hoped it would come across as a fever. “I need to grab my stuff first.”

“I already got it,” he said, holding up her backpack. “Let’s go.”

“Feel better, Gwen!” Nurse Summers called, waving as they left.

“Thank you,” Gwen said sincerely, then trotted after Kevin.

“I can take that,” she told him, referring to her backpack.

“It’s fine, I got it.”

“Gwen?” an annoyingly familiar voice called. She turned around, staring deadpan at Michael. “Going home, huh?” He strolled over to them, looking a little ridiculous as he carried a bright, orange sign labelled, “Hall Pass”.

“She’s sick,” Kevin spoke up, agitation clear in his voice.

“Duh,” Michael said. “And you’re taking her home? I can drive you, Gwen,” he offered. “It’s no problem.”

“I’m already driving her.”

Gwen looked back and forth between the two and rolled her eyes as they held a brief stare down.  _ Too much testosterone here, _ she thought. “Then are you taking me home, or what?” she asked Kevin. “You gonna carry me if I faint again?” She walked out of the entrance of the school and he finally followed.

“Of course I’d carry you,” he told her once they got outside. The crisp, fall air was refreshing to breathe. “After all, I already carried you to the nurse’s office.” She looked up at him in surprise, but he avoided her gaze and instead walked rapidly to his car.

“Wait up!” she protested, running after him. “Your legs are too long!”

The drive home wasn’t as awkward as Gwen thought it would be, though it might have had to do more with the fact that she was still tired and was content in sitting in silence. At least in her drowsiness, she didn’t have to worry about being in a car with her ex-boyfriend… or whatever he was.

The one moment she’d wished would last forever was when they were stopped at a red light adjacent to Burger Shack, and it was known to be the longest red light in Bellwood. People constantly complained about it needing to get fixed, but no one cared enough to do anything about it, so the red light usually lasted about two to three minutes. However, Gwen wouldn’t have minded if it was left permanently on red.

Eventually, Kevin pulled up to her driveway before reaching into the backseat to retrieve her backpack.

“Thanks for the ride,” she muttered, then started coughing. “Guh.” So she’d reached the coughing stage of her cold. Wonderful.

“You gonna… be okay?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the steering wheel.

“Wanna come in?” she asked. Being sick made her feel braver somehow.

“What for?”

She shrugged. “You helped me at the nurse’s office. This won’t be any different.”

“Pass.”

“Hm.” She stared at him for a moment, eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. Then she got an idea. “Well, what if I collapse again before I make it to my bed? Are you gonna take responsibility?”

He finally turned towards her, staring at her in disbelief.

“Well?” she prompted. “Are you?” When he still didn’t answer, she sighed dramatically. “Then let the evidence show that you are responsible for a possible concussion and/or serious injury due to your lack of care.” She pulled the handle to open the door.

“Are you taking me to court?” he asked dispassionately.

“If I have to,” she answered coolly, shutting the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him take off his seat belt and exit the car.

“Keys,” he said, holding out his hand when he caught up with her, shouldering her backpack, which she purposefully had not taken from him.

“I know how to open my front door,” she said, but shrugged and dropped her house keys into his hand. He quickly unlocked the door, letting her in first.

Despite her exhaustion, she didn’t miss the way his eyes cast about the house.

_ This is his first time here, isn’t it? _ she thought.

“I’ve only been here once,” he said, looking around, almost as if he read her mind. “A long time ago when we were kids, so I don’t remember where your room is.”

“Upstairs,” she directed, and they climbed up to the second floor. He waited out in the hall while she changed into more comfortable clothes. Opening the door a little after changing, she asked, “Are you going back to school?”

“Might as well,” he said, leaning against the wall. Then he looked over. “Why are you hiding?”

“I’m not,” she protested.

“You are.” He stepped closer towards the door, towards her. “Why, is your room messy?”

“You’re not going to leave until you find out, are you?” She narrowed her eyes.

“I plead guilty,” he answered, a slight smile on his face.

“Don’t laugh,” she warned him, opening the door all the way.

“Why would I…?” Then he saw her pajamas. Gwen’s pajamas consisted of a bright blue sweater and dark gray joggers. On the sweater was the Lucky Girl logo: a black cat’s face with sparkles surrounding it.

“Lucky Girl?” he said, covering his mouth with a fist. “Isn’t that a kid’s show?”

“Yeah, so?” Gwen folding her arms, now subconscious. “It was a big part of my childhood, and I saw this shirt at the mall, so…”

“Where’d you get it, Hot Topic?” he asked, leaning against the doorway.

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Didn’t know you liked shopping at that store. I figured you liked more preppy places, like Forever 21 or something. Anyway, that show had eighteen seasons and five movies. Were you a hardcore fan and watched all of them?”

“Did you?” she asked, curious.

“Maybe, maybe not.” He looked around her room, holding up her backpack. “Where does this go?”

“By my desk,” she told him, stepping aside so he could come in, watching him as he walked across her room to set down the bag by her desk, which stood in front of a large window that looked out at the neighborhood. “Welp,” she said brightly. “I’m off to bed, good night.”

“It’s nine in the morning.”

Gwen got under the covers and continued to watch him as he made for the door. “Wait,” she called out before she could think twice.

He stopped, hand on the door knob. “Yeah?”

She turned her head to cough and then held out her hand. “You’re just going to leave? Come here and… sit for a while, will you?”

“Gwen,” he began to protest, shaking his head. “I really―”

“Listen, just because… just because of what happened, it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right?” she asked, knowing deep down she was just making excuses.

He looked conflicted, but eventually took off his jacket, hung it up on her coat rack and came to her side, sitting on the mattress. “Are you sure we were ever friends?” he asked skeptically. “I’d say we were more acquaintances.”

“Maybe we never hung out,” she admitted with a shrug. “But I always thought you were a friend. Well, at least until I got into high school.”

“What do you mean?”

“My first day as a freshman,” she said quietly. “That’s when I started liking you. Because… I know you.”

He turned towards her, leaning slightly forward. “You think you know me.” It wasn’t a question.

“Don’t I?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “We’ve known each other since elementary school, at least.”

“How well do you really know me, though, Gwen?”

“How well do you know me?” she countered before coughing again.

That soft smile came back. “You’re always quick on your feet, that I know.”

“And I know that you have no idea how to cook,” she returned.

“Well,” he said, his voice suddenly quiet. “If you really knew me, you’d know that I liked you since the day I met you.” His voice went down to a near whisper. He raised a hand and gently laid it on her forehead, smoothing back her hair.

Gwen closed her eyes, reminded of a moment a couple of weeks ago, when the two of them were at the park. Kevin was sitting on a blanket while she rested her head on his lap, and he was doing the same thing as he did now, stroking her hair in a way that could make her fall asleep.

But in the present, where Gwen lay sick in her bed and Kevin sat beside her, touching her hair with his feather-light touch, he suddenly stopped. She opened her eyes, staring up at him. He sat up, but before he could leave, she held onto his shirt sleeve.

“When you said you weren’t looking for a relationship,” she said. “That was a lie, wasn’t it?”

He backed away, averting his gaze. “No. I was telling the truth.”

She shook her head side to side on her pillow. “Why can’t you tell me what’s really going on?”

“Because I just can’t.”

“Right, so you don’t want to talk about your feelings,” Gwen challenged before covering her mouth with her sleeve to cough once more. “Because you’re just  _ so _ mysterious.”

Kevin pulled away. “Look, I’m not trying to force my tragic past or whatever on you, okay? I’m just not good for you. And I don’t want to argue with you,” he added, glancing at her. “I already hate doing that.”

“I don’t want to argue either, but we’re clearly not on the same page. I wish you’d let me decide whether you’re good for me or not. And in turn,” she closed her eyes for a moment, sighing. “You should be able to decide the same about me as well.”

He looked at her in surprise, but she turned on her side, facing away from him.

“I’m not Miss Perfect,” she said. “I hate that stupid title… and I hate living up to people’s expectations. Did you know today was the first day that I ever missed school? I’ve never done that before, and I hate that I’m disappointed in myself for it.” She sniffed and sighed again. At least her head wasn’t hurting so much now, but her eyes itched with tiredness. “Thanks again for driving me home, you can go now.”

She felt the mattress lift slightly as he stood, and she heard him say softly, “I hope you feel better soon,” before he walked to the door and shut it as quietly as possible.

* * *

For the rest of the week, Gwen did not attend school. Her parents were surprised to see her so sick at first, but eventually they called the school to inform her teachers that she’d be doing homework from home, at least until she got better.

Emily, her loyal friend as always, stopped by her house a couple of times to drop off Gwen’s textbooks from her locker, as well as give her her homework from some of the classes they shared.

“Thanks, Em,” she said, her voice raspy from coughing as she was handed Friday’s math assignment. She was lying on the couch in the living room, eating chicken noodle soup and binging Lucky Girl episodes. She was now on season two.

“Anything for my best friend! Are you watching Lucky Girl? Doesn’t that show have like, ten seasons?”

“Eighteen,” Gwen corrected her. “I was feeling nostalgic, so I decided to watch it again. See? Even got my Lucky Girl sweater on.”

“You’re so weird,” Emily said fondly, shaking her head.

Ben even came to visit as well. By the time she was on season four, he brought some drinks over from Mr. Smoothy and stayed to watch a few episodes with her, though he was more of a Sumo Slammer fan.

“Gwen, whose jacket is this?”

The cousins looked over to see Gwen’s mom standing by the stairs, holding up an army green bomber jacket ―  _ Kevin’s _ jacket.

Gwen tried to remain calm as she asked, “Huh, where’d you get that?”

“Your room. I was cleaning up some things and I found it hanging on your coat rack.”

“Uh―”

“Silly me,” Ben said, cutting in. He got up and accepted the jacket. “I must have left this here last time and Gwen put it away for me. Thanks, Aunt Natalie!”

“Isn’t it a few sizes too big for you?” she asked as Ben put it on. Indeed, it was a little roomy and the sleeves were too long, completely covering his hands.

“I like the extra breathing space,” he said easily.

Gwen’s mom shrugged. “Okay, then. Don’t forget to take it home this time.”

_ Man, _ Gwen thought, impressed.  _ He’s always been a really good liar. _

She and Ben watched until her mom left the living room and into the kitchen. Once they heard her chopping up vegetables for dinner, Ben looked at his cousin, eyes wide as he made his way back to the couch.

“You and Kevin―!”

“Shh!” Gwen waved her hands. “It’s not what you think it is!”

“By the way you’re shushing me,” Ben said, folding his arms. “I think it is. Well, it doesn’t surprise me.”

“Wait, really?”

He looked offended for a second. “People think I’m never paying attention, but I do  _ sometimes. _ I could tell there was something going on between you two these last few years. I mean, Kevin’s liked you since the fourth grade. Weirdo.”

“Huh.” Gwen leaned back against the cushions on the sofa, covering herself with a blanket, passively watching Lucky Girl.

“Anyway, congratulations, you two. If you ask me, it was about time.”

“No need for congratulations,” she said dejectedly. “We’re over.”

“Why?” Ben tucked his feet under his legs, looking at her with interest, as if he was hearing the latest gossip. “Something happen?”

“He says he’s not good for me, like  _ he  _ knows,” she muttered.

“Oh.” Ben looked away uncomfortably, as if realizing something. “Well, I won’t pretend I can give good dating advice, since ya know, that’s not my thing, but… clearly, he’s holding out on you.” Gwen looked at him, confused. “I’m just saying―I mean, it’s not my place to speak for him  _ at all, _ but maybe give it some time and try talking to him again? You can use the jacket as an excuse.” He grinned, holding up the article of clothing.

By Sunday night, Gwen was feeling much better and ready to return to school. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten about Kevin’s jacket, just hanging there in her room; she must have really been out of it. And he hadn’t even contacted her about it, he was clearly still avoiding her. She folded the jacket neatly and put it in a shopping mall bag. Before doing so, however, she held it up to her nose and inhaled.

_ Smells just like him, _ she thought, and it made her even more miserable.

Her original plan had been to corner him Monday morning somewhere on campus, hand him the bag and demand he give her an explanation for his behavior, but when the time came and she saw him walking through the entrance, she chickened out and sped walked away. She wasn’t sure if he’d seen her or not, but she couldn’t even follow through with her own plan, mainly for two reasons: one, she reluctantly decided to follow Ben’s advice and spend some time away from Kevin; and two, a part of her wanted to put off returning his jacket, because once she did, once they talked, she was afraid that would be the end of it. Whatever he had to say to her and whatever she had to say in return, she didn’t want it to be how their relationship ended. Friends or not, she didn’t want him out of her life.

In order to keep her mom from seeing the jacket again, Gwen decided to keep it in her locker. High school lockers were not known for being spacious and she was unable to fit her history and statistics textbooks in there anymore, but it was better than her parents getting suspicious.

She tried to let some time pass, emphasis on “tried.” By the end of the week, she couldn’t take it anymore and decided to text him, letting him know she’d be stopping by his work at eight p.m. and that she wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.

Once more, she took the bus and when she got off at her stop, she stood still for a moment, anticipating yet dreading going inside the auto shop at the same time. But once she started walking, she didn’t stop until she arrived at the open garage door.

This time, Kevin was nowhere to be seen, but he knew she was coming, right? She clutched the bag in her hands tightly, scanning the empty area.

“Hey.”

She turned to see him coming in from the back door. He was dressed in his work shirt as usual, but this time his hands were clean and he was holding a drink from Burger Shack.

“Hey,” she greeted, rooted to the spot. She nodded towards a sedan, the only vehicle currently in the shop. “Working late again?”

“Actually, no. I got done early today. How’s your cold?”

“Much better, thanks.”

He watched her for a moment, then said, “I… got you something,” he said nervously, holding out the drink. “A peace offering.” She accepted it and took a sip from the straw: orange soda, her favorite.

“Thanks, I got you something, too.” She gave him the shopping bag and he peered inside.

“My jacket. Thanks,” he said in surprise. “I was wondering where this went.” He looked up at her. “This was at your house for a whole week?”

“More or less. If you’re finished with work, you wanna talk?”

“Sure, we can sit over there.”

They both took a seat at each end of the only couch in the shop. It was old and worn, but comfortable.

“So,” she began. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what I was going to say when I got here.”

“Me, too. You go first.”

“Thanks.” She ran a hand through a lock of hair, the tell-tale sign that she was nervous. She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together in her lap. “I feel like I needed to apologize to you, about my insisting that we keep our relationship secret. You see…” She turned to him and he watched her, his attention completely on her. “It’s not that I was embarrassed to be seen with you, it’s just that… my parents they―” She pursed her lips. “It’s just me at home right now, since my brother’s away at college, and they’ve always been―especially my mom―she’s kind of the monitoring type. And well, I knew that she wouldn’t… approve of me…” She ducked her head, ashamed to admit the truth. “Dating you.” There was a long pause. “You know me,” she continued, smiling at him nervously and biting her lip. “I have a perfect, cliche life.”

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Kevin said sincerely, looking guilty. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Gwen said with a shrug. “But I’m sorry that it came across as me being embarrassed about us. I didn’t mean it that way at all. It was kind of exciting, actually,” she added with a laugh. “Having a secret all to myself.”  _ Having  _ you _ all to myself, _ she thought.  _ Maybe that was selfish of me, but I wanted you all to myself, at least for a little while. _ “However, I should have been honest and told them from the beginning. I wish I could change that." She exhaled, relieved to get that off her chest. "Anyway, I think I’ve said all I’ve needed to say. Your turn.”

Kevin cleared his throat and he too clasped his hands together. He looked tense.

“Gwen,” he began, not able to look at her. “The truth is… I  _ was _ looking for a relationship with you. During those few weeks with you, I was really happy.”

“But?” Gwen prompted, waiting in fear for what he had to say next.

“But,” he said with a nod, still not looking at her. “I’m still not good for you. You’re right, you should be able to decide that for yourself, but I still think that way. I need to tell you the truth about me.”

And so he told her. He told her that he was always a troubled kid. His father worked at an electric company and was an alcoholic (Gwen vaguely remembered hearing about that part from Ben once) and never having any friends or good parental figures growing up, Kevin’s pent up anger and frustration came out in unhealthy ways. His coping methods consisted of picking on other kids, vandalizing public property and doing other petty crimes.

Then, when he was in middle school, he stole someone’s wallet and their car in an effort to get out of Bellwood. He had no idea where he was going to go, but he just knew he wanted to leave. He followed the signs on the highway and drove all the way to New York City, and ended up joining a gang for a while. Of course, the car he stole was already reported missing and he was only in New York for a couple of months before the police tracked him down and arrested him, taking him back to the Bellwood police station where the owner pressed charges.

Kevin’s father didn’t hesitate in signing the form to send his only son to a Youth Detention Center, where he spent the next two months in reformation. When he came back to school, it was Ben of all people who asked him where he’d been, and they soon became friends.

“I’m doing a lot better,” Kevin said when he finished his story. “I got help and I take care of myself just fine, even while I’m living with my dad, but still. I’ve got a record, Gwen. I don’t advertise it, but no matter what, people know something’s off about me.”

When he finally looked up at her, he was surprised to see that she was seated right next to him. Her heart clenched painfully when he recalled his past, and she put a hand on his shoulder, then gave him a hug. He was tense at first, but he soon relaxed and hugged her back.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said softly after she pulled away. “That means a lot.” She kept her hands on his shoulders, looking down. “I hope you know… it doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”

“Gwen,” he said, his voice just as soft. He took her hands in his. “You make everything sound so simple. I envy you, but I can’t change for you. I can’t change into a perfect guy that deserves you.”

_ He’s just as insecure as I am, _ Gwen realized.

“I never wanted you to change,” she insisted, grasping his hands. “I like you and you like me, that’s all I want from you, is to be with you.” Her cheeks warmed, then she finally backed away from him. “And you are… you are perfect. You’re perfect to me. You must not realize how good of a person you are, and I’m so glad I got to know that side of you. I’m glad that we talked because now I can know  _ every _ side of you. I wish you could know every side of me, as well. There’s so much about myself that I wish I could share with you.

“But…” She looked into his eyes. “I don’t want to disregard your feelings. Your opinion matters to me, and I don’t want to force you to do anything, no matter what. I should have realized that from the beginning.” Slowly and reluctantly, she let go of his hands. He watched them part, a sad look on his face.

“This is it, then?” he asked. “We’re going back to the way it was before?”

“I don’t know if that’s possible,” she admitted, shrugging one shoulder. “But maybe I’m wrong.” She stood up straight, glancing at the garage door. “See you around school?”

He nodded, then he stood as well. “Want me to drive you home?”

She shook her head, trying to smile. “I could use a walk.” She picked up the drink he got for her and shook it, hearing the ice move around in the cup. “I appreciate the soda, Kevin. Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

Gwen had forgotten that it was Friday night and was surprised to see many people walking the streets in the city. At least she wasn’t completely by herself as she headed home. She looked up at the barely visible stars in the night sky, sipping the soda to distract herself, but it didn’t really work. Despite herself, tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away quickly, lip trembling.

* * *

Kevin Levin had a routine every morning that he followed to a tee. He woke up at seven and took a quick, five-minute shower. After cleaning up and getting dressed, he cooked himself two eggs and a couple more, covering them with a plate for his dad to eat when he awoke later. Now with ten minutes left to get to school, he got into his car and drove until he arrived on campus eight minutes later. He was normally able to snag his usual parking space under a tree in the school’s parking lot. If not, finding another one would take at least another minute and he’d have to hurry to be on time. Fortunately for him, today his space was empty and he pulled in with ease.

His first class was film study, but there was no other route to the classroom that didn’t pass by Gwen’s locker. He averted his eyes as soon as he saw red hair out of the corner of his eye and knew she was at her locker like she was every morning, unloading textbooks from her backpack. She didn’t see him, didn’t turn around to look at him. If she had, what expression would she have on her face? Kevin tried not to think about it too much as he hurried past.

He liked his film study class and it was quickly becoming one of his favorite subjects in school. He took his usual seat in the back of the classroom and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Hoping the teacher, Mrs. Hernandez, didn’t see, he took the phone out as discreetly as possible and saw that he’d received a text message from his dad:

_ Bills are due at the end of the week. Remember to pay them. _

Without thinking, Kevin released a long sigh, as if all the stress and frustration could be released in one breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose and ran a hand through his hair before staring at the message again.

Another flash of red appeared in his vision and he looked to his left, seeing Gwen come through the door. She had definitely seen the expression on his face, because for a second, he saw a look of concern cross over her features.

But then she waved a little and smiled, which he returned, before she went to sit in her own seat, a couple of rows ahead of him.

“G’Morning, everyone,” Mrs. Hernandez greeted the class as she set her laptop on her desk and turned on the projector. “I hope you all had a great weekend. Today, we’ll be discussing color theory and how they are used to convey specific messages in cinema. Kevin, can you get the lights?”

Kevin nodded and turned the lights off. Color theory was interesting, but all through Mrs. Hernandez’s lecture, he kept his eye on the back of Gwen’s head. She’d tied her hair up today, and whenever she bent over to write down something in his notes, her ponytail swung back and forth over her back, or rested on her shoulder. That’s when he remembered he ought to be taking notes as well.

Normally at lunch time, Kevin would go home to eat, as he relished the peace and quiet in his house during the day, a luxury he didn’t always have. However, on this particular Monday, Ben approached him before he could leave; a big, goofy smile on his face.

“I know that grin,” Kevin said with a raised eyebrow. “You wanna go to Mr. Smoothy.”

When they arrived at the establishment, Kevin waited outside by his car while Ben purchased the drinks, handing him one.

“It’s nectarine,” Ben assured him.

“What’d you get?”

“Lamb and sardine.”

“Blegh. Why can’t this place have a normal menu?”

“Hey, it’s got good protein.” Ben eagerly sipped his smoothie, then asked, “Are you going to the party this Saturday?” When Kevin looked confused, Ben dug out a bright green flyer from his backpack, though it must have been sitting at the bottom, completely forgotten, because it was all crumpled. Ben smoothed it out as best as he could and held it up for Kevin to see. “It’s the one Gwen’s friend Emily is hosting.”

“Pass. Are you going?”

“I can’t refuse free food. Of course I’m going.”

Kevin nodded and sipped his drink in silence, watching the cars on the street drive by. Ben stared at him, a knowing look on his face.

“Gwen’s also going.”

Kevin wiped his mouth on his hand and set the cup on the hood of his car. “I don’t remember asking.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to pretend,” Ben continued, grinning. “I know everything.”

Kevin gawked at him. “You do? Since when?”

“Since Gwen told me. Also, I could tell something was going on between you two a  _ long _ time ago.”

“Huh.” Kevin folded his arms. “Never knew you were so observant, Tennyson.”

“Why is everyone so surprised about that? Anyway, if you wanna win her back, the party this Saturday is your chance.”

“We’re… we’re over. For good.”

“Oh.” Ben looked disappointed. “Mind telling me why?” Against his better judgement, Kevin recounted his last conversation with Gwen and Ben listened intently and patiently.

“That’s pretty brave of you to tell her what happened, Kev,” he commended him.

“The thing is, I do still want to be with her,” Kevin admitted. “But at this point, I think it’s better for us to just stay friends, if that’s even possible.”

“Want my advice?”

“No.”

“It sounds to me like she still wants to be with you, and…” Ben shrugged. “From what you’ve told me, she’s leaving that choice up to you. It’s quite admirable of her, actually.”

“Yeah,” Kevin agreed. “I guess you’re right.” He looked at his best friend suspiciously. “Since when did you give dating advice?”

“I think I’m pretty qualified.”

“You literally have never dated anyone, Tennyson.”

Ben grinned, then pointed at Kevin’s unfinished drink. “You gonna finish that?”

Kevin eyed his nectarine smoothie and scrunched up his nose before handing it over. “Help yourself.”

* * *

Saturday came too quickly and yet somehow not quickly enough. Kevin had rehearsed what he would say once he arrived at the party, revising and adding new things to say and taking out some other things right up until the moment he got out of the car and stood in front of Emily’s house. He hadn’t interacted with Emily very much to his memory, but he got the feeling that she didn’t like him very much. In fact, many of the people in Gwen’s circle, besides Gwen and Ben, seemed to shun him silently.

Kevin took a deep breath. He’d knock on the door, ask to see Gwen and then they could talk in private. It seemed simple enough. He could do this.

Hesitating for a millisecond, he finally knocked on the front door and waited, hearing pop music playing inside and muffled chatter from his peers. Soon enough, Emily answered the door and she looked up at him in surprise.

“Um, hi,” he said awkwardly. “Is Gw―?”

“Gwen!” she beat him to it, turning her head and yelling her friend’s name inside the house. Then she turned back to him, and to his shock,  _ smiled _ at him. “She’ll be here in a sec,” she assured him.

“Thanks,” he said, still unable to hide his astonishment.

Unfortunately, the next face he saw was  _ not _ Gwen’s.

“Who’s calling for Gwen?” Michael Morningstar asked, appearing by Emily’s side and opening the door a little wider. “Levin?” He grinned maliciously. “Didn’t know parties were your thing. Why don’t you run along and―”

“What’s up?” Finally, Gwen came to the door. Her eyes widened upon seeing Kevin, and for a moment, she looked a little sad, which made him feel a pang in his chest. She quickly put on a smile and looked at Emily. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be right―”

“Hang on a second,” Michael interrupted, and Kevin could see the gears in his head turning as an idea came to fruition. “Hey, everyone!” he called inside the house. “Come to the front, Levin has something to say!”

“What are you doing?” Emily asked, confused. “I think they want some privacy.”

“Nonsense,” he told her, waving a hand. “What Levin has to say to our Lovely Gwen, he can say in front of all of us, right?”

“Michael, you…” Gwen trailed off, fire in her eyes. Kevin stood frozen to the spot, then backed up a little as he saw his classmates gather around the front door, waiting expectantly. He could see Ben in the back, stuffing pretzels in his face, and he gave Kevin a thumbs up.

“You’ve got this,” he seemed to say.

Gwen stepped forward, holding out a hand. “It’s okay, Kevin. We can just go somewhere else. You don’t have to do what he says.”

“No,” Kevin said resolutely. “No, I’m fine. You’re right, Morningstar.” Michael raised an eyebrow. “I have something to say to Gwen, and I don’t mind if you guys hear.” He cleared his throat and turned to her, looking into her eyes. “But only if she’s okay with it, too.” She opened her mouth in surprise, and then nodded.

“Yeah,” she said softly.

Kevin cleared his throat again, suddenly nervous. Not only was he going to pour his heart out in front of all his peers, but now everything he rehearsed didn’t seem good enough. No matter how much he’d practiced, there was still that possibility that Gwen would turn him away forever. What would he do then?

“Ahem, Gwen…” He began slowly. “Listen, I never said it out loud to you how I felt about you. You took that first step forward and I was too scared to meet you in the middle. So, I need to say it now.” Keeping his eyes on her, he found the courage. “I like you.”

He heard small gasps of astonishment from behind Gwen, but he didn’t care anymore. “I like you a lot, and what we had… I  _ don’t _ want it to have just been a summer thing. You’re worth so much more than that, and you deserve to know the truth.” She looked up at him in silence, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good reaction or not. But suddenly, he felt a heavy burden lift from his shoulder, and he somehow felt rejuvenated, like nothing else mattered and no matter what happened afterwards, he’d be okay. He was only seventeen years old and didn’t know anything, but he knew that he had a steady job, he was going to graduate in eight months, he could finally move out… and he was going to be okay.

He wasn’t sure how long it’d been since he’d stopped talking, perhaps a few minutes, or only a few seconds, as he had this epiphany. Keeping his gaze on Gwen, he waited expectantly. Though he knew after tonight wouldn’t be the end of the world, he still cared about her and valued her opinion.

And Gwen’s opinion was clear.

She smiled at him, a big smile on her beautiful face. With bated breath, he watched her as she walked up to him, and his eyes widened when she gently took his face in her hands and kissed him.

The gasps were clearly audible this time from the crowd. Kevin would have felt annoyed that they were still sticking around and watching, but at this moment, he didn’t care. Gwen kissed him briefly and softly, and when she pulled away to look up at him, the grin on her face said it all.

“Did you eat dinner?” she asked him, holding his hands.

“Uh, no,” he said in realization. In his haste to get to the party, he’d completely forgotten to eat anything.

“Wanna go to Burger Shack?”

He smiled back. “Yeah.”

Gwen waved quickly goodbye to Emily as she and Kevin walked back to his car, hand-in-hand. Unbeknownst to them, Michael stared at their backs, jaw dropped before coming back to his senses. He shook his head.

“What is this, some cheesy teen romcom?” he joked, but no one was paying attention to him as they all went back inside. He looked over at Emily, who watched the couple leave with a smile on her face. “Say, Emily, if you’re not doing anything tomorrow―”

“Save it, Michael,” she cut him off. She regarded him with narrowed eyes. “I know what you were trying to do earlier. You were trying to embarrass Kevin and make it so that Gwen wouldn’t want to be with him. It just shows that you don’t know a  _ thing _ about her, or him.” She smiled smugly before redirecting her wheelchair to go back inside. “Good night.” And she closed the door in his face.

* * *

At the intersection before turning into Burger Shack, Kevin and Gwen were stopped at the notoriously long red light. Kevin drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, staring at the street ahead of him in silence. Next to him, Gwen fidgeted.

“Kevin,” she said. He turned to look at her.

“Yeah?”

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear in that cute way that he found incredibly endearing. “I don’t mind kissing in a car anymore.” She looked at him expectantly.  _ Meet me in the middle, _ she seemed to be telling him.

The smile returned to his face as he leaned towards, gently bringing a hand to the back of her neck as he pressed his lips to hers.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been rewatching the Ben 10 series again, because that show was my childhood! I got a lot of inspiration from Alien Force to write this fic of course, but I have also started to get into the reboot series as of late, and wanted to incorporate Kevin and Gwen's dynamic that I think they'd have when they grew up. These two are just so cute and I am a big fan of what they're doing with Kevin's character in the reboot series!! And finally, my last source of inspiration was the song "Betty" by Taylor Swift!
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


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